The Poetical Works of George Barlow In Ten [Eleven] Volumes |
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| IX. |
| X. |
 | XI. |
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 | The Poetical Works of George Barlow |  |
319
X. A HEART IN ARMOUR
I show the world my armour,
All marred and bent with blows.
Let men complain!—I never deign
My true thoughts to disclose.
I show the world my armour,
Clinched close in every part.
To you I show my weakness:
To you I show my heart.
All marred and bent with blows.
Let men complain!—I never deign
My true thoughts to disclose.
I show the world my armour,
Clinched close in every part.
To you I show my weakness:
To you I show my heart.
I show my strength to others;
My tenderness to thee:
An ironbound rock I stand the shock
Of life's tempestuous sea.
But at thy touch, my darling,
All hardness melts away;
Tears stain my cheek, if you but speak,
And lo! the rock can pray.
My tenderness to thee:
An ironbound rock I stand the shock
Of life's tempestuous sea.
320
All hardness melts away;
Tears stain my cheek, if you but speak,
And lo! the rock can pray.
How little mankind knows me!
All chained and barred in steel
They find my heart. Then they depart,
And think I cannot feel.
Yet heights and heart-depths hazy
Are sometimes clear to one:
The sun's one favourite daisy
Can understand the sun!
All chained and barred in steel
They find my heart. Then they depart,
And think I cannot feel.
Yet heights and heart-depths hazy
Are sometimes clear to one:
The sun's one favourite daisy
Can understand the sun!
| The Poetical Works of George Barlow | |